St. Croix, USVI - Alejandro Marva-Romero, 32, of Venezuela, pleaded guilty today in federal court on St. Croix to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, United States Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe announced.
On Nov. 13, 2015, Marva-Romero and other co-defendants, who were on a boat, retrieved a load of cocaine mid-sea from another boat. They transported the drugs to St. Croix and offloaded them at a beach called Knight’s Bay. Law enforcement tracked the boat returning to St. Croix and apprehended Marva-Romero and two co-defendants on the beach in close proximity to the suitcases. The suitcases contained 87 kilograms of cocaine.
Marva-Romero faces up to life imprisonment for the offense and a fine of up to $10,000,000. A sentencing date has been set for Jan. 13, 2017.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alphonso Andrews, Jr.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
